Stepping up to the Platter - Two Hit Analog Accessoriesby Myles B. Astor

HiFi-Tuning Ultimate3 VRO (vinyl resonance
optimizer) Record Weight

For the last couple of months, a VPI Reference Super
Scoutmaster turntable outfitted with either the multi-layered acrylic/stainless
steel/acrylic "Super Platter" and more recently, the newest "Classic" Al
platter, spun my albums. Entrusted with the job of securing these records to
both platters was the standard VPI stainless steel ring clamp and in place of
the standard VPI center clamp, the new and very unique HiFi-Tuning Ultimate3 VRO
wooden record weight. Tipping the scales at 380 grams, HiFi-Tuning's Ultimate3 VRO record weight isn't exactly the prototypical heavyweight record weight (or
nearly as heavy as the VPI Clamp) built to "crush" the record onto the platter.
Instead, the Ultimate3 VRO is more a marriage of a record weight and vibration
sink. Or as Bernd Ahne of HiFi-Tuning shared, "Both the weight and material are
important!"

The HiFi-Tuning's Ultimate3 VRO record weight is
fashioned from several woods; the inside of the weight is made out of African
ebony while the outside of the VRO consists of a layered mixed wood! Compared to
the VPI Clamp that sits on the entire record label, the Ultimate3 VRO's only
contact with the record label are two, very tiny, African Ebony and one platinum
tiptoe. The platinum tiptoe functions as an integral part of the circuit path
responsible for draining the energy from the record/platter interface into a
Quartz and mixed damping material mixture located inside the clamp. And the
results obtained using HiFi-Tuning Ultimate3 VRO with these two quite disparate
platters are still the same. The HiFi-Tuning Ultimate3 VRO offers a significant
sonic upgrade over VPI's standard stainless steel center clamp.

As mentioned in my recent Omega G cartridge review
(see Issue 52), the addition of the Ultimate3 VRO record weight significantly
improved both the sound of the VPI Reference Superscoutmaster and the ZYX
cartridge. To begin with, instruments have a far more palpable, wrap your arms
around quality with the Ultimate3 VRO than the stock VPI clamp. With the stock
VPI clamp, Michael Schaffer's lute on The Baroque Lute (MHS/Seon 4199) has a
good sense of focus and body; listening to this LP using the HiFi Tuning
Ultimate3 VRO is, however, a completely different experience. There's a far
greater sense of the instrument's radiating body; it's as if a doctor performed
an angioplasty on the instrument, inflating it with a balloon catheter and
greatly expanding the lute's depth perspective.

Next, substituting the HiFi-Tuning record weight for
the stock VPI clamp also really expanded the table's midrange dynamics. Furthermore, this effect is so striking that it's readily apparent even when
standing behind the speaker swapping out the record weights. With the VPI center
clamp, this slight dynamic constriction was more than offset by the clamping
system's other virtues, yet its signature was always apparent. It seems after
replacing the stock VPI center clamp with the HiFi-Tuning VRO record weight that
the stock weight, not the ring clamp, was the culprit. Saxes and trumpets on the
best original or reissued jazz albums such as the Music Matters, Analogue
Productions or ORG 45 rpm Blue Note or Impulse releases, now project more into
the room and have more midrange bloom, energy, smoothness and sense of ease.

Finally, there's a reduction in an ever so slight
metallic quality—and perhaps maybe a touch moreso with the new Classic
platter—using the Ultimate3 VRO. Ever since my review of the VPI ring clamping
systems, there was always a slight twinge to its sound; the addition of the
Ultimate3 VRO removes that quality. That slight edge is supplanted with the
Ultimate3 VRO by a more relaxed, harmonically complete quality.

Each Counter "Intuitive" kit includes a specially
designed counterweight ring, two long, plastic rectangular adhesive backed grids
and written instructions that make installation a breeze. After unpacking the
kit, the first order of business is applying the stick-on grids that allow for
reproducible azimuth and VTF settings to the VPI arm wand's counterweight.
First, however, it's necessary to trim the grid before affixing to the 10.5i's
counterweight; this process isn't necessary for the 12.7 arm with its larger
counterweight. While the instructions recommend removing the counterweight prior
to installing the adhesive grid, one can if very careful (and with stylus guard
in place and arm locked down), easily apply the grid without removing the
counterweight assembly. The second "extra" grid included in the kit allows an
owner to use one Counter "Intuitive" counterweight ring with two VPI arms. (All
one needs to do is mark the azimuth [A-Z] and VTF [1-5] setting before
interchanging.) On the other hand, if you can afford two or more cartridges
mounted in their own wand, then several $49.95 Counter "Intuitives" aren't going
to break the bank and thus avoid any need to switch counterweights, save time
when switching and comparing cartridges and most of all, possible mistakes.

Next, the Soundsmith counterweight ring allowing for
extremely fine azimuth and tracking force adjustments (~0.3 gms) is slipped over
the VPI tonearm's counterweight/adhesive grid. This counterweight ring is
according to Soundsmith, "manufactured from a special thermally stable, damped
polymer material with two inset brass weights." Then, the Counter "Intuitive"
ring is positioned in the middle of the grid (1 to 4 in the case of the 10.5i
arm) and with zero degrees azimuth offset. In practice, it might actually be
preferable to start with the counterweight ring closer to the 10.5i arm's pivot
point since in general VTF usually needs to be increased for optimal sound.
Finally, the already extremely tight fit between the Counter "Intuitive" ring
and VPI counterweight can be further enhanced as described in the instructions,
by using the paper backing from the adhesive grid.

Then one simply set VTF and azimuth with the VPI
counterweight as usual; once these "gross" parameters are set, one then dials in
the final settings with the Counter "Intuitive" by either moving the ring
front-to-back (or vice versa) for VTF and side-to-side for azimuth. (Make sure,
however, that the screw locking down the VPI counterweight is snug; otherwise,
the VPI counterweight may also move when rotating the Counter "Intuitive" ring
to set azimuth.)

The Counter "Intuitive's" brilliance really shines
through when dialing in the cartridge's azimuth and VTF. VTF and azimuth can be
set and if desired, adjusted by ear for optimal results. For instance, the
Counter "Intuitive" allows for miniscule VTF adjustments within a range of
approximately of 0.3 grams, allowing one to optimally align the coils in the
magnetic flux field, as well optimize cartridge tracking. For the first time
with the VPI arms, it's incredibly easy to adjust the cartridge's VTF, if your
scale allows for it, in 1/100ths of a gram eg. 1.70, 1.71, 1.72, etc. Or on the
other hand, it was now possible to perfectly lock in and match the crosstalk
numbers for both channels using my Audio Technica cartridge analyzer (I also
assume that the Counter "Intuitive" also makes setting up cartridges using the
Feickert computer software easier too).